don't shop, ADOPT!

bailey and i are huge proponents of adoption and rescue. there are thousands pets being killed on a daily basis at the shelters through no fault of their own. the general public has to be made aware that the shelters have perfectly good pets just waiting to be adopted.
yes, shelters are a sad place. yes, it will break you heart when you see so many lonely pets waiting to be freed from their impending doom. no, you may not find the pet you are looking for on your first visit. yes, you may need to return time and time again. believe me, i know.
when i adopted my precious kibbles in 1995, i visited several shelters: pasadena, san gabriel, pomona, baldwin park... and i finally found her in duarte. i made numerous visits to each shelter. it broke my heart that even though i visited the same shelters, there were always different dogs. kibbles was the perfect addition to our family and she lived with us for almost 15 years!
shelter dogs are not defective and i don't think everyone understands that. i get calls on a regular basis, because of my business, asking if i sell dogs. i always refer them to their local shelter and i can tell by their response that is not the answer they were looking for. please help bailey and i to educate the uneducated about rescue and adoption.

until we meet again my friends-

remembering kibbles

january 26 holds some very sad memories for me. it is the date we lost our kibbles to cancer. she had had her share of illnesses throughout her life (a hernia, tumors, melanoma, torn ligaments in both her back legs, congestive heart failure...) but she always pulled through each one. however when cancer took hold of her, it didn't want to let her go. it was heartbreaking to watch her decline. i was watching cancer taking her away from us. each day was worse than the day before. her back legs were giving out and she had to be carried everywhere. she had no more strength to fight and no more strength to live.

it's a terrible thing when one has to be put in the position of deciding when it is time to say goodbye. unfortunately on january 26 we had been put there. i looked deep into kibbles' eyes and asked her if she was ready to move on... if it was time to make "the decision". i needed her approval. i could see in her eyes that she was ready. she was tired and the sparkle that once was in her eyes, had gone. we called the vet that very day and we took her that afternoon so she could finally be at rest. the final drive to the vet took about an hour and it rained all the way there. it's as if the heavens felt our pain and were crying with us.

i found her at a local animal shelter in 1995. she was a scrawny little mutt that stole my heart from the get-go. we were blessed to have had her as a part of our family for 14+ wonderful years. she was so much more than just the family dog. she was family in every sense of the word.

this picture was taken on the morning
of the day we had to say goodbye.

i love you kibbles <3

save a life, rescue a dog

we rescued bailey 14 months ago and it was the best decision we could have made. when i hear of someone that just bought a dog, i think of all the dogs that will live their final days in the cold surroundings of a shelter. never knowing love, never having a family. it just breaks my heart. shelter dogs are just as good, if not better, than the puppy mills dogs you are likely to find at the pet stores. if you are thinking of adding a dog to your family, please consider adopting a homeless pet; you will literally be saving a life.